Marketing, advertising & media intelligence

Why we like it: Gregg's manages to pull all its product strings together in a montage that gives a series of snapshots of modern Kiwi life. The spot is vibrant, has a great sound track and sticks to the cheeky positioning that Gregg's has employed with such great effect in its previous ads.

Why we like it: This stream-of-consciousness spot provides a somewhat hilarious glimpse inside the mind of a boy who takes his schoolyard games quite seriously. Slick editing and cinematography by the team at Finch ensures that the clever script written by Colenso leaves a memorable impact on the viewer. As a side note, someone does however need to tell the kids in these ads to tone it down a bit. Otherwise we might very well be watching the Kiwi version of Patrick Bateman listening to Phill Collins while commenting on the nutritional content of bread in the near future.

Who it's for: Vodafone by FCB and TVNZ

Why we like it: Vodafone puts its One Weather sponsorship to good use by crowd-sourcing weather reports from around the country. In addition to showcasing how far the Vodafone network stretches, the spot also reward customers with one second of fame before the weather. The only downside of the telco's sponsorship approach is that it has unfortunately removed glorious monobrows from our early evening viewing.

Who it's for: Burger King by Colenso BBDO

Why we like it: So often our complaints fall on deaf ears. However, Burger King set out to show that it was listening to its customers by responding to a seemingly innocuous complaint on Facebook. Instead of ignoring a Kiwi's opinion that the Butcher's Stack was too small, the fast food chain developed a new, bigger version of the burger and then invited the complainer to serve as quality control. Then, only after getting the okay, the burger was released on the market. And while this does show that Burger King is willing to respond to complaints, it could also incite customers to complain more in the hope of the chain acquiescing to their demands.

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Thinking outside the box: James Warburton and Mike Watkins on the future of APN Outdoor and billboards

After a performance that could be compared to stalling in 2017, StopPress sits down with APN Outdoor chief executive James Warburton, and general manager for New Zealand Mike Watkins, to hear how APN Outdoor is tracking financially, approaching the digital rollout and where they see the industry heading in the future.

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Silver Sponsors

Why we like it: Many brands worldwide put out ads and campaigns in light of International Women's Day last week, some with questionable reasoning (looking at you McDonald's). It's great to see inspiration paired with action with this particular campaign, with women able to make a call to a respective leader to ask career questions or get advice about a particular field. With 17 leaders available, including author Joy Cowley and scientist Michelle Dickenson, we hope many Kiwi woman took up the opportunity to chat.

Who's it for: Bags Not by Bcg2 and Go Well Consulting

Why we like it: A campaign that wants to save the world is a good one in our books. The 'Bags Not' campaign encourages Kiwis to say no to plastic bags and supports them to change their single-use habits. Short and sweet and not too preachy, the ad uses celebrities such as artist Dick Frizell and writer and TV presenter, Jaquie Brown to help Kiwi consumers make a behaviour change. However, the proof will be in the pudding to see if Kiwis can cut down on the 1.6 billion single-use plastic bags used each year.

Who’s it for: BNZ by Colenso BBDO

Why we like it: This is the second phase of BNZ’s ‘Bank of You’ and it continues the focus on community and empathy. Featuring different communities in different situations the ad shows banking is more than just suits and spreadsheets. From flower shops to friends, New Zealanders are diverse and so are their interests.